


Dance of the Pyreflies

by MagicalMilly



Category: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X & Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy X-2
Genre: Angst, Emotions, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Pyreflies, Remembering the Dead, Teacher-Student Relationship, dresspheres as plot devices, fights with feelings, lots of pyreflies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 02:23:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18273878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicalMilly/pseuds/MagicalMilly
Summary: When stuck in a battle all alone, Rikku pulls out a few of the new Dresspheres in her arsenal.The memories associated with her new movepool really get to her.





	Dance of the Pyreflies

The roar of the behemoth knocked them all off of their feet as they rounded the corner.

 

"Shit. Where did this come from?" Paine scoffed as she used her Alchemist's gun to try and hoist herself back up.

 

"I thought we had gotten all of the fiends!" Yuna moaned under her Black Mage hat.

 

"Disasterific... How you guys feeling about this fight?" Rikku murmured. "Dammit!"

 

"What?"

 

"Ghiki is down for the count. I'm gonna have to change Dresspheres for this fight."

 

"Make it a strong one. I've gotta heal." Paine was already rifling through her stash.

 

"And I'm out of MP after that last fight. And my Garment Grid is all Magic Based." Yuna sighed as she worked on getting herself upright.

 

"Hmmm. All I have that is offensive are those new ones! Let me try them out!"

 

"Be careful!" was the Yuna's yelled farewell as Rikku ran forward midtransformation.

 

She skidded to a stop in front of the towering monster, sword at the ready in front of her.

 

_ Sword...? _

 

Looking down, her eyes went out of focus out of surprise.

 

_ I know this sword... _

 

~~~

 

"So, Rikku."

 

"Huh? Yeah?" Rikku spun towards the voice, amazed that the owner was seeking her out.

 

"Come with me for a moment. I want to talk."

 

"How is he so standoffish! Even when he's inviting me to talk to him? How can one man be so cool!" Rikku screeched to no one in particular as she jumped out her seat on the Bridge of the Highwind and ran after Auron.

 

"Hey, meanie, usually you wait for someone when you ask them to walk with you!" she burst out between gasps after running after the man to a quiet room on the airship.

 

He chuckled, "Apologies. I'll keep that in mind for next time."

 

"That's right you will!" she dramatically pointed at him, and then lowered her finger with a confused grimace. "So, uh, why did you want to talk to me? Did I do something wrong?"

 

"Not at all. I just wanted to see how you were holding up. Yuna is in a bad spot and wanted to check in on you."

 

An eyebrow shot up. "You're... concerned about me?"

 

"Why shouldn't I be? You are a member of this party, and are connected to Yuna more than most."

 

"You're right I am!"

 

"So, you're doing completely fine, no concerns?"

 

"I mean..." she scuffed the floor with her boots. "I am worried. Who knows what Seymour is gonna try, y'know? And, I know I'm the fast one, but like, I don't have a lot of oomph, y'know?"

 

"That is true."

 

"You don't have to agree so bluntly!"

 

A chuckle.

 

"Meanie! I tell you that I want to get stronger and you laugh at me!"

 

"Believe me, I was not laughing at you. You, remind me of someone."

 

"I do?"

 

"Yes. A former student."

 

"Tell me about them!"

 

"I thought you wanted to get stronger? I was going to offer to teach you some strengthening exercises."

 

"Really? You would teach me? Well then... Who says we can't do both!"

 

He shrugged. "I suppose we can."

 

"Yeah!" Rikku started her victory dance while Auron chuckled once more.

 

He turned to the team's weapons stores that were against the wall. _ Wow, I almost think Auron was planning this from the start. _

 

"Here, I think this one should suit you well to start off with." He reached out with one of his older blades, the War Blade, with the hilt tilted towards her.

 

"So, not that I'm not extremely grateful or anything, because I super duper am... but..."

 

"But...?"

 

"Like, I can tell that you planned this. Like, you brought us to the storeroom. Why you wanna teach me?"

 

"As I said, you remind me of a former student."

 

"Is that all? Because, like, then you could have done this earlier."

 

He sighed, "Well, to be honest, I thought about it for a bit. And, then that conversation under the lake was the final push."

 

"Under the lake? You mean when I was talking about Lulu?" It was her turn to laugh at him.

 

"What are you laughing at?"

 

"You were jealous that I wanted to be like Lulu, so you rushed to take me under your wing instead!"

 

"No, that's not..."

 

Rikku was now openly laughing. "It totally is! Don't deny it!"

 

~~~

 

Tears welled up as she took in the sight of the old blade she thought she had lost. Thrown into the sea after he went away...

 

Her grip tightened around the blade as she dove out of the way of an oncoming swipe without thinking. She rolled and pounced up into the air, blade singing as it sliced into the behemoth ahead of her.

 

_ Just like he taught me _ .

 

The beast roared in pain as she landed back at it's feet. Leaping back, she created some space to size up her enemy.

 

_ This will be a bit tough... but... with this sword? I know I can do anything. _

 

"Rikku! What?" Rikku spun around at the strange tone to Yuna's voice.

 

"What?"

 

"What are you wearing?"

 

"The new Dressphere! What do you  _ think _ I'm wearing!" She was starting to get a little irritated at whatever it was that Yuna was trying to get at.

 

_ What on earth is so weird about whatever the heck it is that I'm wearing? _

 

Unfortunately, she was so focused on Yuna's call and trying to parse what it all meant that she missed the charge up for the next swing from her enemy.

 

"Rikku! Dodge!" Paine shouted, just in time for Rikku to snap out of it and turn.

 

Honing her fighting instinct, Rikku, swept her weapon up to take the brunt of the attack when she was, once again, shocked.

 

_ What... am I... wearing? It... can't... be.... _

 

Knowing that she was too shocked to deliver the counter attack needed, she lept back once more to wrap her head around this newest development. After creating some distance, she looked down.

 

_ Yup. _

 

She was wearing Auron's Haori. A little edited and tailored. But, she knew it from anywhere.

 

 _I would know that_ **_smell_** _from anywhere._

 

_ ~~~ _

 

_ Shit. The cold is getting to me _ .

 

Her hand was deep in the innards of a machina, but her joints were so frozen that they were having a hard time yanking out the core that would shut the whole thing down.

 

_ Dammit, dammit, dammit. I gotta pull this out soon before my hand freezes to the metal, it shoots me, or anyone notices that I'm having issues. _

 

If she wasn't so damned cold, she'd be sweating bullets at any of those ideas.

 

_ Finally! _

 

The final gear switched, allowing her to pull out the core without anymore hassle. She spun around to face the party with the core firmly in her grasp and posed in her victory pose.

 

"Got it!"

 

"Nice one, Rikku!" Tidus walked over to give her a high five.

 

"Rikku. A word." Auron's gravely voice cut through her joy.

 

"Oh, shit. Sucks to be you, man." Tidus sighed as she turned and waved with an uneasy grin on her face towards the apporaching older man.

 

"So, what's up, Auron?" she rocked back and forth on her heels in the snow.  _ Must keep moving, cannot stay still, cannot show weakness. _

 

"I need you to be honest with me. How cold are you right now?"

 

She flinched at his ability to see right through her. "What do you mean?"

 

"I saw how much trouble you were having that last battle. Your joints aren't working."

 

"I'm fine!" she stamped her foot, "I am not going to hold the team back."

 

"Why would you think that was what I was going to say?"

 

"Uh..."

 

"Is that all you think of me?"

 

"Well..."

 

"Hm... you're too cold to function right now. You need to warm up."

 

"But everyone else can do it!"  _ I will not be weak. _

 

"No one else grew up on a desert island!"

 

"So?"

 

"They've all experienced winter! Have you ever seen snow before now?"

 

"No..."

 

"That's what I thought."

 

"Huh?" She stared at him quizzically as he approached her.

 

"You'll need this." He shrugged off his haori and threw it across her shoulders.

 

"You can go without?"

 

"Why would that be a question?"

 

"You know why." her eyes narrowed.

 

He sighed. "You know about me?"

 

"Right."  _ You're dead. _

 

"How long have you known?"

 

"I had an idea after all of that at Guadosalam. You reacted too strong to the Farplane. And then it was kinda confirmed after Beville, y'know? With the attempted sending of Seymour."

 

"That far, huh?"

 

"Yeah, I was paying more attention to you at Beville, because of the lessons, y'know. I was trying to learn more between lessons."

 

"Admirable. Let no one tell you that you are not the observant type."

 

"Thanks." she was beaming once more. Happy to be recognized by him. "For, well, everything."

 

"I am your teacher."

 

"Darn tootin'!" she grinned. "Ooo! It looks like we're stopping for the night! I see them starting up a fire over there!"

 

"Well, before we join them, since we have the time, you ready for another lesson?"

 

"In the snow? If I can't pick a lock, how do you expect me to grip a sword!"

 

"Not that type of lesson. This is a more mental exercise."

 

"Alright! Bring it on! I'll prove more of my smarts!" Wrapping the haori closer around her body, she leaned in to hear what was next.

 

~~~

 

_ How did I not notice this smell before? _

 

With a grin, she tugged the haori a little tighter around her frame, allowing herself a split moment to remember before focusing back on the enemy.

 

Rikku sidestepped another attack with ease and made her move, listening to her blade, just as Auron had taught her, unleashing the Mirror of Equity.

 

~~~

 

"I think this is the perfect move for you."

 

"Huh? Why?"

 

"See, it uses the opponent's strength against them. It actually does more the less strength you have."

 

"How is that even possible? Like, that makes no sense, y'know?"

 

"It's... it's like a lever? You can flip anything with the right leverage, right?"

 

"Yeah...?"

 

"That's how you get your strength. Using your mind. And it does more damage because they won't expect that from you."

 

"Oh. That makes sense!"

 

"Now that you understand, it's called the Mirror of Equity...."

 

~~~

 

_ He'd be so proud. _

 

She twisted her blade at the top to create the greatest leverage, the shriek of pain her sign of success as she then rode her sword all the way down from the top of the beast.

 

As soon as she hit the ground, she flipped out of the way of the removed arm and the following swipe, unable to take the grin off of her face the whole way down.

 

_ I finally got that move down without your help! _

 

She jolted out of her headspace for a moment when she realized that she thought  _ your _ instead of  _ his. _

 

She went to try and correct herself mentally when she felt her haori heat up.

 

_ What? _

 

As the eviscerated arm exploded into pyreflies, Rikku gasped.

 

The pyreflies, instead of flying up into nothingness, instead lingered. Floated around her. Warmed her.

 

_ Is this? _

 

She shakily held her sword up, knowing that the behemoth wasn't going to wait for her to figure out what the hell was going on.

 

As the sword passed through the pyreflies that were surrounding her, warming her up, she saw them dissipate into her sword. With each one that entered her blade, it pulsed stronger and stronger.

 

Gasping once more, she prepared herself for what would, hopefully, be the final blow.

 

However, as she raised the blade, she felt her Garment Grid pulse.

 

_ What the hell is happening now? _

 

The other new Dressphere, the Dark Knight, was shining and on the verge of setting itself off.

 

_ Well, what do I have to lose? I might as well listen to the pyreflies. _

 

In a burst of light, she transformed once more. Leaping into the air midtransformation, she reached the head of the monster ahead of her right as her new weapon materialized in her hand. The pyreflies were still encircling her as she rent the behemoth in two with the new sword.

 

Diving into the flurry of pyreflies, she expected to have to land.

 

Instead they carried her down and let her step softly to the ground.

 

She could tell that they were... proud?

 

That he was proud.

 

She looked down at her new sword, wondering why the Farplane wanted her to use this Dressphere to deal the final blow and couldn't help but drop the weapon.

 

As it clattered on the ground, she covered her mouth with her hands to try and stop the sobs.

 

Masemune.

 

Auron's ultimate weapon.

 

He.....

 

He gave it to her.

 

~~~

 

The airship was alight with energy as they all prepared for the final assault on Sin.

 

This was the final shot. They  _ were _ going to win.

 

Rikku was doing some rounds around the ship to make sure everyone was prepared for the upcoming battle. Well, until she passed by the hallway that Auron was leaning.

 

"Hey. Can I have a quick word?"

 

"Sure thing! Let me just put this down!" At his nod, she ran over to Rin and handed over the request list that she compiled from the engine room.

 

Used to his disappearing act by now, she ran down the hallway she had last seen him until she caught up to him in the room at the end of the hall.

 

"So, what's up? You ready?" She was still practically bouncing from getting everything ready.

 

He chuckled, "You really like preparing for things, don't you? For someone as... loud... as you, that's surprising."

 

"What do you mean by that, you meanie! I'm not that loud!"

 

He cocked an eyebrow at her at her outburst.

 

She caught on to his silent call-out, "Eh heh heh heh... you have a point."

 

He smiled. "Anyways, I called you for a reason."

 

"Yeah! So, what's up, Teach!"

 

"Such a quick turnaround... Anyways. Tomorrow is our final battle. Our final assault."

 

"Yep!"

 

"I'm probably not going to make it."

 

"What!" her face fell, jaw completely dropped. "But, you're the strongest! You won't fall in battle! Hell, you're not even alive!"

 

"That's exactly what I mean."

 

"Explain it to me, Teach."

 

"All Unsent have a purpose. Mine was to defeat Sin. To raise Yuna and Tidus. To protect them until Sin is gone."

 

Her face fell even more to despair. "So, without that purpose, you'll finally move on."

 

"Correct."

 

"Okay." Tears were welling up in her eyes, but she kept looking Auron right in the eyes.

 

"Good. Just as I taught you. Which... brings me to the real reason I asked to talk."

 

"It's not just to warn me?"

 

"No. It's... a... bit more than that."

 

"Spit it out!"

 

"So... you know all the training I've been having you do? Both sword exercises and all of the brain teasers I have been giving you?"

 

"What of them?"

 

"To be honest, they were all actually the Bushido Code."

 

"What?"

 

"All of the katas I gave you, were from the Bushido Way. All of the questions and moral dilemmas and puzzles? Those were the ones that were used to see if you could uphold the Bushido Code."

 

"You mean?"

 

"You've passed with flying colors. You are now a full-fledged Bushido. Have been for a while now."

 

Rikku just stared.

 

"You are... the last Bushido now."

 

"You were the last before me."

 

"And I'm dead. It falls onto your shoulders now. I'm sorry."

 

"Is there anything else I need to do to carry this torch?"

 

"Just promise me."

 

"Anything."

 

"Uphold the Teachings. Pass it on to those who are worthy. Protect Spira. Protect Yuna."

 

"Always. I was going to follow Yuna to the ends of the Spira anyways, and I will uphold everything you taught me. I promise."

 

"Thank you. I can pass on in peace now."

 

Tears forming in her eyes, she stood up and bowed. Bowed as deeply as she could.

 

"Thank you, Teacher."

 

"Rise, you and I are equals now."

 

Before she could process her own actions, she leapt forward, enveloping Auron in a hug.

 

To her surprise, he not only accepted it, but reciprocated it.

 

"You were the best student I could have ever asked for. Now, go, you have to finish helping your people prepare the airship to back us up in Sin."

 

"Yes, sir!"

 

Wiping her tears on her arm, she stood tall, taller than he had ever seen her stand before, and strode out. Knowing her worth.

 

~~~

 

_ We are equals. _

 

She reminded herself as she picked up Masumune once more. As her hand slowly slid over the designs along the blade the pyreflies surrounding her only tightened.

 

They condensed so tightly that they almost made the shape of a human before they flew into the air and swam right into the blade in her hands.

 

Yuna and Paine ran up.

 

"What was that?"

 

"What were the pyreflies doing?"

 

"I think... they were reminding me of a promise I forgot."

 

"How would they do that?" Paine prodded.

 

"Rikku! Is that?" Yuna took notice of the new blade in her hand.

 

"Yeah."

 

"What is going on here?" Paine's frustration at being left out of the loop was soaking into her questions.

 

"I think I understand what happened with the pyreflies." Yuna quietly answered.

 

"How so?"

 

"Just, an old friend wanted to remind us that he's still watching out."

 

Paine's brow was furrowed once more, but softened watching Rikku kneel down and slowly clean the blade with more care that previously seen before. Her tears silently dropped upon the blade as she polished.

 

"Oh."

 

The two gave her a moment with the blade and looked to see if there were anymore surprises to be had.

 

"Auron... I'm sorry I forgot your promise. I will never forget again. Never again."

 

The blade pulsed in return, the hilt warming to her touch, and the sigil on the blade shining Red.

 

"Yes, Teacher. I promise."

 

She stood back up. Back straight as she strode to meet her teammates with the same pride in her step as when she first made that promise.

 

_ Thank you, Teacher, for giving me this second chance. _

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> This is a fic that I got into my head while I was chatting with someone about my feelings about X v X-2. 
> 
> And I really loved this idea. And I couldn't get it out of my head. So, I wrote it real fast this evening. 
> 
> I just really love Rikku, and I really like her to keep her character development that she got from the first game.
> 
> And I love Auron, because Auron.
> 
> I just couldn't get the idea of the shared weapons out of my head while trying to think of a way to bridge the gap.
> 
> Hope you all like it!


End file.
